This Game We Play
by DarkBlossom14
Summary: At some point he lost track of who was cat and who was mouse. But with her mouth pressed to his and her hand sneaking the scroll from his cloak; it didn't really matter.


Hello reader, here is a short one-shot that has been in my head for a while. Please enjoy what I've managed to put on "paper".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was here. Her chakra lingered softly in the small space.

Itachi smirked. He could sense her signature the moment he entered the bar. Perhaps, he thought, he has become far too attached to her.

Pushing that thought away, he signaled to Kisame to make a loop around the bar. He moved gracefully to one end of the long counter, declining a drink when the overweight bartender offered.

"If you're trying to be inconspicuous, you're failing." A beautiful voice teased.

"So says the woman with pink hair." Itachi responded as the petite woman perched herself on the stool next to him.

"Touché." Sakura Haruno smiled.

"So are you going to tell me who you are here for or are we going to compromise both our missions by going after the same target? Again." Sakura signaled for the bartender to bring her another drink.

"At the rate you are going, I doubt you'll be any competition." Itachi smirked when the younger woman glared.

"Very well, Itachi." Sakura purred wickedly. She raised the shot glass that the bartender had brought. "Game on." Then she downed the liquid contents and chased it with a swig of beer.

Itachi's sharp eyes widened fractionally. Sneaky kunoichi. She'd stealthy spit the shot into the beer bottle, then sauntered away, her walk tricking people into believing she was well on her way to being drunk.

"Game on, indeed." He smirked at Sakura's long, lean legs as she leaned over the table of her target.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Stalking is illegal." Sakura calmly said to the open field she was in.

"Aa. Many things are illegal." Itachi replied as he emerged from the shadows in the trees. His red eyes watched as she carefully chose plants to place in her basket.

It had been three weeks since they crossed paths in the bar. The two had not been going after the same target, as it turned out. So after completing their respective missions, Sakura disappeared with a smile and a wink.

Itachi found that he was disappointed that they were unable to complete for the target. The pink haired kunoichi turned had proven in the past to be quiet the opponent. She mentally challenged Itachi like no one else ever had.

"You know," Sakura began thoughtfully, "It's been one year since we started…seeing each other."

Itachi smirked, pleased that she knew that. "Indeed. To the exact day."

Sakura let out a soft laugh, "Do you know the hour and minute too?" Her teasing voice made Itachi's lips tilt up slightly.

He did, in fact, know the hour that they'd met. It had been sunset, 365 days ago that they had begun this, for lack of a better term, cat and mouse game.

Itachi and Kisame had just set up camp when Itachi felt the presence of another chakra. The pair followed it to an open field where they watched Sakura punch a rogue Sound-nin twenty feet into the earth.

The pink haired girl dusted her hands and turned to the two Akatsuki. "I've had about the worst day ever, how about we forget we are enemies and go about our lives." She locked eyes with Itachi.

The Uchiha had been incredibly impressed by her and, much to his dismay, rather turned on. They had continuously come across one another over the next twelve months. And not always by accident.

"I'm starving." Sakura pulled Itachi from his thoughts. She stood with her basket.

"My hotel is several miles east from here. Care to join me for a bite to eat?"

Without thinking Itachi nodded his consent.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Time once seemed irrelevant to the Uchiha genius, but he found himself counting the hours lately. He told himself he was not counting anything in particular, it was just a coincident that he knew it had been exactly 2,190 hours since he'd encountered Konoha's precious cherry blossom.

He also told himself he only knew that because she was suddenly in front of him, her green eyes blazing.

"You had no right." She hissed through plump lips.

Itachi leaned back on the tall tree, arms crossing one another. "I do not play by your rules." He calmly stated.

"Did it ever occur to you that I needed information from him? Now it looks like I failed my mission because you went and killed my target!"

Itachi thoroughly enjoyed the way her chest heaved and the way her cheeks flushed.

"I thought you'd be thanking me." Itachi suppressed a smirk when the beautiful woman in front of him froze. Her cheeks now completely covered in a perfect hue of red.

"Thanking you? Thanking you! Have you lost your mind! I needed that disgusting idiot alive, dammit!" He delicate fingers threw a well-aimed kunai at the taller man.

Itachi easily caught it and was on her a second later. He used his full weight to press her to the tree, trying to ignore how great it felt to be so close to her. He intended to remind her who he was, but when her green eyes looked up at him, he lost control.

Itachi smashed his mouth to her awaiting lips. Over twelve months of built up tension, of longing, of playing this catch me game were passed in this kiss.

Sakura wove her fingers through his raven hair, pulling herself closer, higher. Itachi quickly gripped her hips, his teeth catching her lower lip. He groaned when he heard her delicious moan.

The heat between them was almost unbearable, but felt so right. They fit together. She was meant for him; he could feel it in the way she kissed him.

A possessive growl ripped through him when he thought of her targets grubby hands on her strong, shapely thighs. Itachi gripped her perfect ass. Glad now that he'd killed her target.

Sakura pulled her soft mouth back, "Our first time will not be against a tree, Itachi."

Red eyes locked with green. A sly smile spread across her well-kissed lips. "Let's save this fantasy for another time. Now, right now, I want you in bed with me."

"Very well." His husky voice responded, liking more than he should the idea of a next time. Itachi teleported the pair to the empty cabin he'd been staying in, his mouth never leaving hers.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The whole hour counting thing had become a curse Itachi decided. Each hour added seemed to cut into him, though he refused to analyze why.

Itachi forced himself to focuse on his current target, no use recalling the countless times he and his cherry blossom had met up since that night that changed everything. Red eyes darkened when he thought about how many times he'd tasted his kunoichi. Everywhere.

It had been six months since that night, and though they did not see each other regularly, their game now seemed to fuel his desire all the more.

"Shit." Itachi focused on his partner, still eyeing his target.

"What's the m-" The Uchiha froze. "Ahh." He smirked deviously, eyes flew to the stairs leading to the Casino floor that they were at. And there, wrapped in a revealing emerald dress, was his obsession. His (technically) enemy. His Sakura.

"Now boys," Her red lips purred when she reached them, "I know you are not here for my target."

Kisame chuckled, "Well this just got interesting."

"Indeed." She let out a soft laugh. "Game on." Sakura looked to Itachi as she gently ran her small hand across his chest, down to his lap.

She sauntered away, to the same man the Akatsuki were after.

"Yes, indeed." Itachi smirked when he realized she'd stealthily stolen their assignment scroll. Sneaky, beautiful minx.

Red eyes spun with the lustful challenge; never would he tire of this.

"Game on, blossom."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Please review, and thank you for reading.

-DarkBlossom


End file.
